title: The role of macrophages in obstructive airways disease: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.
abstract: Macrophages are a major cellular component of the innate immune system, and play an important role in the recognition of microbes, particulates, and immunogens and to the regulation of inflammatory responses. In the lung, macrophages react with soluble proteins that bind microbial products in order to remove pathogens and particles and to maintain the sterility of the airway tract. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma are both obstructive airway diseases that involve chronic inflammation of the respiratory tract which contributes to disease progression. In the case of COPD, there is increasing evidence that lung macrophages orchestrate inflammation through the release of chemokines that attract neutrophils, monocytes and T cells and the release of several proteases. On the other hand, in asthma, it seems that alveolar macrophages are inappropriately activated and are implicated in the development and progression of the disease. In this review we summarize the current basic and clinical research studies which highlight the role of macrophages in asthma and COPD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Crete, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pappas
authors.forename: Andriana I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Papaioannou
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kostikas
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tzanakis
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D018925:Chemokines / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018448:Models, Immunological; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018925:Chemokines
keywords: Asthma; COPD; Inflammation; Macrophages